 |
This email has been sent to because you requested it. Do not reply to this email, as the address is not monitored. To unsubscribe, see the end of the newsletter.
News of the ministry
Our thanks to those who have written to say how they have been helped by this newsletter and this ministry. We are simply teachers of God's Word. We have no organization you can join. We only want to share the truth and be a motivator and blessing to all believers everywhere.
We welcome those who have subscribed for the first time during this past month, and encourage you to read the archive of previous issues from our Home Page. In this issue we continue with our third verse-by-verse teaching from "Colossal Colossians".
The Power of the Gospel
Colossians 1 verse 5 states that a Christian is one who has a hope. "Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven." I believe the word "hope" should always be translated "expectation". God has an expectation which is stored away for you in heaven. God put your name on it, it's gift-wrapped ready for you to take into your life and enjoy the benefit of it. There is an expectation in the Christian life. I'm so glad I'm a Christian, and I'm so glad I have an expectation for the future. Recently I was listening to a tape where the speaker asked "How should we handle the book of Revelation and what effect does it have on us?" He took the same approach that I do. He said basically that if you think you are going to go through those things, then you are in the wrong family. If you are in God's family, the book of Revelation is not for you--you'll be gone! But if you are not in God's family, then you had better brace yourself because there's some things coming that you may not like.
So a Christian is one who has expectations. And even beyond that, in the second half of verse 5 and then verse 6 it speaks "Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing--as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth". We have a powerful manual for everyday life. A Christian is one who has a roadmap for the future, and that is the word of God. That is another thing that separates a Christian from everybody else. We have a love for one Book above all other books. When we have a problem we go to the Book, because it's the Book that gives the answers to our problem.
There's another concept I want to share. The King James version in verse 6 merely says that this word of truth "bringeth forth fruit". Almost all the modern translations will add "and increases it" or similar. For some reason the King James version has failed to translate a Greek word there. So we should read "it is bearing fruit and growing". "Bearing" and "growing" are in the middle voice, both acting and acted upon, a combination of the English active and passive voices. Now, why am I making this explanation? To show you the beauty of this good news that we are talking about.
In verse 6 it states it is the gospel, the word of the truth (verse 5), that is doing the work. The word of truth bears fruit and is growing. It is an action taken to and for itself. The object is the word of truth. That means that the good news you share with somebody is a very powerful thing, and has inherent within it the capability of reproduction, just like a seed. A seed has within it a pattern, a program. It is better than a computer program, because it lasts for thousands of years and it does the same thing every time. It reproduces itself according to a pattern. Every acorn has the capability of becoming an oak tree. It will never become a fir tree or a eucalyptus tree, because it is programmed by God to reproduce as an oak tree.
The word of the truth, the good news, has within itself the capability of reproducing itself and growing, and so it goes on and on. I believe that the gospel is a far greater than anybody yet conceives. I've seen it happen in the lives of people who were just nominal Christians, that is, they probably went to church when they were children and then later they forgot all about God and church. However, when they have heard "the word of the truth", they have been saved and made a commitment to Christ, simply because they've heard the word of truth. There may not have been an altar call, a walking of the aisle to the front of the church for prayer, or any outward action, but they are now saved. That is how powerful the gospel is that we share. God never told us to tell people what miserable sinners they are. Most people already know that. They don't need to be told. God wants us to tell them how good He is, and how He made a perfect sacrifice so every person can become a member of His family.
So we share the good news, and as that good news goes out, gradually people start believing it and make their commitment. Then they start applying the principles in God's Word. Some have sat under this teaching for four or five years and then gradually they see the principles and accept what God says about their lives. I've seen many people drop off bad habits, not because I have made snide remarks about them, which I try not to do because it is the Word of God does the work. People come to church with their hurts, habits and hangups, and it's the word of the truth that has the answers to all those situations.
"The word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing--as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth" (verse 5b and 6). What a powerful truth this good news is! What a great work it does in the lives of people! No wonder Paul wrote to the Romans, "The gospel... is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (1:16). One of the great secrets of living positively in a negative world is to get your foundation right. The foundation we have is the good news of what God reveals about us. It is the good news of what a Christian is--one who knows God and believes in Christ.
If you're going to live positively in a negative world you need to have a good dose of faith, and it needs to be solidly set in the word of God. That is why I am spending this time in the colossal book of Colossians, to strengthen the foundation and so that you too can live a victorious life. It is not just a matter of reading the book. It's thinking about the word of the truth, drilling it into your consciousness, so that if anything negative ever happens you say, "That's not what God says about me." You know who you are. You're a saint--a son of God or a daughter of God with power. You know where you are going and that is to be with Christ. You know what's important to you, and that is to have a knowledge of what God says about you so you are sure about what you can do. That's where it makes a difference. You can live positively in a negative world. -- Peter Wade.
This email was launched into cyberspace to bless you. Our newsletter is never sent unsolicited. You are receiving it because you subscribed.
Subscription information...
To unsubscribe or subscribe, or to contact us, go to our Home Page.
http://www.inChristRadio.net -- weekly Internet radio broadcast, 24/7 listening! *** We also have an RSS feed available from our Home Page.
|
"IN CHRIST" QUOTE FOR TODAY
